The Mole Rat Virus
by Skaterbob2
Summary: When Nate rescued Curie and retrieved the cure, he also willingly exposed himself to a deadly virus. After three years with no symptoms, everyone assumed he’d be fine... but since when had fate been kind to Nate


Nate could still remember plunging straight into the hidden vault, gun at the ready, willing to take down any mole rat or turret that stood between him and the cure. Codsworth had inquired about finding a hazard suit but Nate had brushed his concerns off. There was no time for preparations, every second without the cure was one second closer to that boys death. Nate wasn't gonna let someone else lose their boy like that.

Not like he'd lost Shaun.

Meeting Curie was a surprise, even to this day, Nate couldn't honestly say whether she genuinely believed him to be Vault-Tec staff or she was just so desperate to leave. Nate hadn't seen anything special about her during that first meeting, just another oblivious robot with a fancy accent. However, during their travels, he noticed a few sparkles of personality shine through the little cracks of her robotic programming, and they only became more real when she entered her synth body.

The cure she and the staff developed worked wonders, the boy walked and talked just fine despite resembling a corpse mere moments before. All ailments, both caused by the mole rat bite and pre-existing ones like his asthma, just disappeared. But alas, only one dosage could be produced, the greatest triumph in medical science had been used to save the life of a single little boy. The philosopher in Nate struggled with how to interpret the event.

Dr. Forsythe then made the observation that Nate had been exposed to the virus, even more so than Austin. But, Nate insisted he felt not symptoms. Even after a year, when Curie and the Minutemen medics were performing their routine checkup, completely fine.

They had convinced themselves that Nate just seemed to get lucky, maybe none of the mole rats got close enough to bite, or perhaps just didn't bite deep enough.

Three years after the rescue however, fate finally made its move.

It started off with simple muscle fatigue, Nate's usual excursions across the Commonwealth became a nearly painful endeavor, with breaks being taken almost every block.

Then, the fever. Curie felt his forehead one day and nearly gasped. The thermometer read 107 degrees, Curie had to redo the test three times to ensure the tool just wasn't broken. He didn't leave his quarters for nearly two weeks while she nursed him back to health, alongside the best doctors the Minutemen and the Commonwealth could provide.

And suddenly, it was like a miracle. Nate was strutting through the halls of the Castle like it was nothing out of the ordinary, like he hadn't been on the verge of death for half a month. Celebrations were held in the Minutemen HQ, not even the worst disease mankind could manufacture had been able to put down the General.

Curie would always remember the exact moment it happened. They were all in the courtyard, drinking like it was the end of the world, in a horribly ironic way it was for one of them. She spotted Nate hugging the wall, she walked over, just barely able to open her mouth to ask if he was alright, before he hurled up a unsettling amount of blood.

He fell to the ground, hitting the dirt with a dull thud. Medics rushed him to his quarters, the party had turned sour as people watched their General be carried into his room by a team of doctors.

He managed to cling to life for a week after the incident. The disease spread to every part of his body, turning him into a sickly and gray husk of his former self. Curie knew there was nothing to be done. She simply pressed a kiss to his forehead and let him say his goodbyes to Shaun in private.

The doctors confirmed his death at 3:06 AM, May 11, 2290. It was so hard to believe, the man who faced raiders, mutants, monsters and synths without a hint of fear. The man who brought down the Institute, the Nuka World raiders and the Children of Atom. The man who single handedly gave hope back to the Commonwealth, had been killed by a germ from a mole rat.

His funeral services were held two days later. The entire Commonwealth gathered together to mourn their General. Nick gave a touching eulogy, describing Nate as the man who "had more compassion than anybody he'd met before." Curie decided not to speak, attending the service alone was enough to reduce her to a sobbing mess, speech was impossible.

After the service, she retired to his quarters and sat on the edge of the bed. Half expecting to see him open the door with his usual goofy smile, before he plopped beside her and went to sleep on her shoulder. The door opened, but the visitor was not the one she had envisioned.

Nick stepped through the doorway, the silence was tangible. No words needed to be said as he sat beside her, offering his metal hand. She grasped it tightly, leaning on his shoulder and letting the tears fall freely. Slowly more of Nate's companions joined them. Piper hugged Curie from behind, while MacCready and Preston simply sat, their presence being enough.

Together they mourned the loss of their dear friend, and continued to work towards his goal of a united and safe Commonwealth.

Several weeks later, as Curie slipped on her Minuteman uniform, she looked in the mirror, taking a deep breath and repeating _For Nate, _before grabbing her rifle and heading out into the day.


End file.
